- Drew Gooden played 14 years in the NBA, including four seasons with LeBron James in Cleveland
- Gooden has found success owning famous chicken restaurant, Wingstop
- Gooden has also worked as a sports analyst with NBC Sports Washington
Drew Gooden was a 14-year NBA veteran who shared the floor with LeBron James for four seasons. Gooden isn’t well remembered by fans for his NBA career, as he wasn’t as successful as some players.
Gooden has seen success since leaving the NBA, as he’s the owner of a Wingstop restaurant in Altamonte Springs, Florida.
“From a customer perspective, I fell in love with the restaurant, it was something that pulled me in,” Gooden explained. “You always hear the horror stories of opening a restaurant, the statistics of them being successful. So with the situation I was in, I thought I could beat the odds.”
Gooden initially purchased a Wingstop restaurant during the 2011 NBA lockout season. This led Gooden to think about the future, after basketball and he knew he needed to find a source of income, once his playing days were over.
Wingstop looked to be a good deal, as the franchise has more than 485 restaurants in the United States and Mexico. This seemed like a good deal for Gooden.
“With the lockout, a lot of us are thinking about our future and looking for new business and investment opportunities,” Gooden said. “I’ve been a big fan of Wingstop for years, so this is a perfect fit for me.”
Gooden purchased one Wingstop restaurant, and he claims it’s the most successful one in the region. He has plans to buy four more Wingstop restaurants.
On top of his successful Wingstop franchise, Gooden has invested in real estate, owning and renting properties in California and the Bahamas. Gooden also works as a sports analyst with NBC Sports Washington; he’s been an analyst for over five years.
All of this has led to Gooden obtaining a net worth of $21 Million. So, with all this success off the court, what success did Gooden have on the basketball court?
Drew Gooden’s Basketball Achievements
Drew Gooden’s basketball career began in high school when he helped lead El Cerrito High School to the California Interscholastic Federation Boys’ Division III championship game in 1999. Gooden’s team lost the game, but Gooden’s skills were being noticed.
After high school, Gooden attended the University of Kansas, where he thrived both academically and athletically. In 2002, he led the Jayhawks to the NCAA Final Four and was subsequently named the NABC Player of the Year and the Big 12 Player of the Year.
Following his impressive college career, Gooden declared for the NBA draft and was selected as the fourth overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002. Gooden averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 assists per game as a rookie; he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Halfway through his rookie season, Gooden was traded to the Orlando Magic, and in 2004 he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is when Gooden would become teammates with LeBron, who was in his second season.
Gooden wouldn’t win any other accolades throughout his career, but he remained a solid player for every team he played on. For his career, Gooden averaged 11.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game on 46.2% shooting.
Gooden may not have had an NBA career that’s memorable for most fans, but for an NBA team, he was exactly the player you wanted on your roster. As for his off-court life, Gooden is a successful businessman, and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
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